What is the role of the corresponding application in the PPH process?

In the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) process, the corresponding application plays a crucial role by serving as evidence for allowed claims. When an applicant seeks to expedite the examination of a patent application in one participating office based on a positive examination result from another office, the allowed claims from the corresponding application are submitted as evidence to demonstrate that the claims of the new application are allowable.

This use of allowed claims facilitates a more efficient processing of the application, as it shows that the claims have already met certain patentability criteria, allowing the examiner in the second jurisdiction to rely on this prior favorable examination. The process is designed to enhance collaboration between patent offices and to reduce redundancy in examination, ultimately aiming to expedite the granting of patents while maintaining the integrity of the examination process.

In this context, other options do not accurately reflect the role of the corresponding application in the PPH process. The other choices either misinterpret its function or do not align with the established principles of the PPH workflow.